OXFORD, Miss. – As part of the ongoing 10th anniversary
celebration of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College
at the University of Mississippi, the keynote address at
spring convocation Monday (Feb. 11) focuses on the
program’s evolvement.
George A. Everett Jr., associate professor emeritus and
chairman emeritus of modern languages, delivers the
address at 7 p.m. in the Ford Center for the Performing
Arts. The event is free and open to the public. Everett
headed the university’s honors program from 1973 to 1996.
“As we reflect on how far we have come, Dr. Everett will
charge us to be intentional about our future and to stay
committed to the fundamental principles of the honors
college,” said Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez, honors college
dean. “Dr. Everett led the honors program for more than 20
years, and the SMBHC stands on his success today.”
Honors education at UM began as the Faulkner Scholars
Program in 1953 under preceptor Doris Raymond,
Sullivan-Gonzalez said. In 1959, the University Scholars
Program was established, followed by the University Honors
Program in 1983. That program evolved into the SMBHC in
1997 after a generous monetary donation from Jim and Sally
Barksdale. Barksdale most recently provided another gift in
2007.
Everett’s address is expected to reflect on the honors
program’s emergence from the initial Scholars Program,
Sullivan-Gonzalez said.
Describing progression of the program, Everett said that it
began by offering an in-depth study of a small number of
subjects to a small group of students, which later expanded
in both the number of students and subjects. By 1973, there
were about 25 students in the program, all rising
sophomores, according to Everett.
“After 1973, we reached out and brought in students
directly from the high schools and offered them not only
depth but also breadth in studies and the ability to work
one-on-one with faculty members both in their own fields
and other fields,” Everett said.
He helped the program emerge to offer students the ability
to take a set of core courses together and then work on an
individual basis with professors.
Sullivan-Gonzalez said the honors college has had
significant growth in both its focus and impact. Committed
leaders, alumni and faculty created and sustained the
honors college from the beginning. The text, lectures and
senior theses are all part of the program’s success.
“We have succeeded in engaging our students in thinking of
themselves as participants in the educational project and
in taking advantage of these four years to think and live
creatively and responsibly within our community,” he said.
Everett, who as a freshman studied English under Raymond,
said he enjoyed his time as director of the program and is
pleased with how far it has come in offering a variety of
opportunities to students.
“He maintained a very close relationship with his students
as he pressed them to be imaginative and curious and to
achieve,” Sullivan-Gonzalez said. “We are looking forward
to hearing his stories so that we might better understand
the drama in which we participate as members of the SMBHC.”
For more information about the Sally McDonnell Barksdale
Honors College, visit
http://www.honors.olemiss.edu.
For more information or to request assistance related to a
disability, call 662-915-7294.